Firlands Farm in Burghfield Common is the scene of another planning battleground

Burghfield Common campaigners are limbering up for a battle against a plan to build 129 homes in the village.

Henry Davidson Developments (HDD) Burghfield Common Ltd is appealing against West Berkshire Council’s decision to refuse outline planning permission for the development at Firlands Farm in Hollybush Lane. The site, at the edge of the village just in Sulhamstead parish, is currently farmland.

When the council turned down the application it argued it had a five-year housing supply and that it was too early to develop the Firlands Farm while the development plan was still under discussion.

Other reasons for refusal were the loss of key landscape features and the adverse impact on the rural farmland setting.

The developers who call their latest plan Hollybush Oaks say it would be a sustainable development.

Campaign group Residents Against Firlands Square (RAFS) formed to fight an earlier plan for much larger housing and shopping precinct proposed by the same developer on the same site called Firlands Square.

A planning appeal will be held for the current plan on Tuesday, June 2, at the Hilton Hotel in Newbury.

"Floodgates"

Zane Welch of RAFS said the group had been “battling with this developer for a number of years”.

He went on: “We have the support of several hundred residents who share the view that planning should be led by the local council and their long term housing strategy, not by opportunistic developers who have no affinity with the area or concern for local people.”

Mr Welch said RAFS was concerned that the 129 houses would “open the floodgates” to hundreds more, particularly as HDD had applied to built much larger development on the site some years ago.

He said more than 100 extra families would put pressure on the village, particularly on the schools which were already over-subscribed.

He said Hollybush Lane was often in a state of gridlock around The Willink School in the early evening.

He told getreading the last time he had to drive the 100 yards from his home to the school carrying football equipment to an after-school coaching session it took 20 minutes because of the traffic backing up at the traffic lights at the Reading Road junction.

RAFS has said it will provide a free coach to and from the hearing for anyone who wishes to attend. The coach will leave Recreation Road in Burghfield at 9am and the appeal starts at 10am.

Do you live in the area? What do you think of the application? Let us know in the comments below